Joyeux Noël!!

Merry Christmas or happy whatever you want!

I'll be away for the holidays so don't expect a new pairing before at least early January. I plan on playing great games (old and new) and drink some nice brews.

What games will you play?

It's a great time to try out multiplayer games and revisit the classics. Let's see a couple :
- Super Mario Bros 3
- TMNT 2 Arcade Game
- Duck Hunt (the perfect game to get your uncle to play)
- Mario Party 1-2-3 (these are the best of the series)
- Donkey Kong Country 1-2-3
- Super Mario World
- Mario Kart 64
- Anything that you have fond memories of!

It's also perfect to try a bunch of new beer or again, go back to your favorites! I have some IPAs, barley wine, weizen bock, stout and I'm trying a new pumpkin ale.

If you want to try something out of the ordinary, take a look at the Sink the Bismark! from Brewdog. They call it a quadruple IPA and it comes with a whopping 41% ABV. It has an intense hop taste, a syrupy texture and a really strong alcohol presence. Drink it as you would drink a fine scotch. It comes with a steep price since you have to ship it from Scotland but if you're looking for a special gift for someone (or yourself), try out this "extreme" beer.

Again, have fun with your loved ones, plenty of games and beers for all of you!!

Play and drink responsibly.

Cheers!

Donkey Kong's Bock

Welcome back beer gamers!

This time I have a classic Super NES game for you. A game that I have fond memories of and that I always love to go back to, alone or with friends. This gorilla is more than just a big villain who kidnapped Pauline and forced Jumpman (AKA Mario) to come and rescue her. Yes, I'm talking about Donkey Kong's biggest role since he was born : Donkey Kong Country!

Contra makes me bitter!

Welcome back Beer Gamers! I've got another hard game for you today, check it out!

One hit kill, lots of bullets, your buddy kills you because he makes the screen scroll up, no more lives, AAARRRGG! That's Contra in a nutshell. This is a classic run and gun game that I never get tired of. What should you drink? Something that will keep you on your toes with its sharp bitterness and give you the power you need!

Can you guess what style I'm talking about?

Skyward impressions

What's up beer gamers!

If you've read my beer pairing for The Legend of Zelda, you know that I'm currently playing Skyward Sword. I sliced the last boss to pieces yesterday and since I promised you my personal impressions of the game : AWESOME!

Continue reading for my full review!

Zelda's Abbey

Everyone knows the Legend of Zelda, I mean : It's freaking ZELDA!!

This is a game that symbolize adventure. When you play a game, most of the time, you can find things here and there that comes from the Zelda franchise. Case in point, when you hold a button to target an enemy... Yup Zelda did it, Ocarina of Time to be exact.

The original Legend of Zelda gave the player a feeling of adventure that they never felt before. You had a huge world to explore with little secrets littered everywhere and dangerous foes around every corner. The game was hard but you kept playing because it was rewarding, giving you new items in every dungeon and empowering you along the way. The Legend of Zelda is sacred to many fans, it's a classic piece of gaming history and well-deserving of this status.

Castlevania's beer trilogy

The Castlevania games! Known for its difficulty, action packed level and awesome music! You play as a Belmont, a long line of vampire killers hunting Dracula generation after generation. Armed with your trusty whip, you travel across several level killing everything that stands between you and you nemesis.

Since it's the first pairing, why not do three for the price of one?! Let's dive in and see which beer I recommend for the Castlevania Trilogy on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

These three games are well suited for a nice opaque stout. The darkness of this style compliments the evil nature of Castlevania. The dark gloomy castle with its scary surrounding in which the light never seems to pass through is akin to the shadowy color of this style that sometimes scare some people. Each of these adventures can have its own stout because they each have their own personalities.

What is game beering?

Beer is such a great beverage! It has been around for centuries and will continue to be around for the enjoyment of mankind. Everyone knows about wine and cheese but have you ever tried beer and cheese? It's great. Beer, cheese and cold meat was the main course for a lot of farmers not so long ago, it's a tradition that should not disappear.  There is so many types of beers with just as many different tastes that can compliment great cheeses, meat or desserts, you're bound to find some of these good.

Since beer seems to mix with anything, why not pairing it with another thing that I love : video games! The darkness of a good stout with a moody and scary game or a hoppy IPA with a shoot 'em up that attacks you from everywhere. I call the pairing of games and beer : game beering. Also, if you pair games and beers, you're a beer gamer!

I'll  try to find good beers for the games I happen to own. Since I'm an old-school gamer, most of the games will be retro games for the NES or SNES but it doesn't mean i'll only play old games. I'm still a gamer and there's great games still coming out (hint hint zelda) so expect some new release from time to time.

Coming up next : Castlevania!!

Until then, have fun game beering!